Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:46 am, the temperature is 47 degrees.
It will be cool today with a high temperature in the upper 50’s and a low tonight in the upper 40’s. We have a 90% chance for rain today, with new precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. There is a low chance for showers tomorrow. The high temperature is predicted to be in the low 60’ with an overnight low in the low 50’s.
Little River is flowing at 279 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.27 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 372 cfs. The water temperature is 52.2 degrees this morning.
Streams in the mountains are flowing very close to normal. Most are a good fishing levels for some anglers and maybe higher than other anglers prefer. Water temperatures are well within the trout’s preferred range in the lower elevations. Aquatic insects are active. Fishing for trout is good.
Walter Babb is one of our local fly fishing experts. He has been fly fishing in the Southern Appalachians for over 60 years. He has kept fishing logs since I have known him. We have been friends for 30 years.
Walter always told me, when the water temperature rises to 50 degrees, and stays at that temperature for 3 consecutive days, the Quill Gordon mayflies will hatch. He also says that in the early days, he never saw these insects hatch in our region because trout fishing season opened in April. Now, trout fishing is legal all year in Tennessee and in the Smokies.
That being said, the water temperature in Little River, in the lower elevations, has been sustained at over 50 degrees for three days. I have heard reports of quill gordon sightings, but nothing so far that indicates a large number of these insects on the water. But, I did not talk to any returning anglers yesterday.
If you go fishing in the mountains today, be prepared for dry fly fishing. What you may see are blue wing olives, blue quills, quill gordons, midges, caddis, stoneflies or other aquatic insects. Try dry flies with a wet fly, nymph or emerger dropper. If trout are not taking that combination, switch to nymphs and fish deeper. Fish in the lower elevations where the water is warmer.
Fishing for stocked trout in the lower elevations is good. I’ve seen some incredible photos of trout anglers have caught over the past few days. Travis has been stocking some “bruisers” in Gatlinburg.
Spring fly fishing came early this year due to the warm weather. The long term forecast indicates temperatures will remain warm through early March with a few nights dipping into the upper 30’s. Fishing should remain good through early March unless the long term forecast changes.
Lake levels are higher than TVA or the Corps of Engineers prefer at this time of the year. You can check the Operating Guide on the TVA website for each dam and see for yourself. So, they are generating for long periods and sluicing or spilling at some dams. I didn’t see any good generation schedules predicted for today for tailwater anglers. Check yourself. I don’t look at every schedule. Hopefully you can find a good tailwater fishing option today.
Jack Gregory will be holding a Free Fly Tying Demonstration at the shop today between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. This is a demonstration and a chance to get to know Jack, something you should not miss. I think he is the best fly fisherman I have fished with and we have fished together a lot. He is also an excellent fly tyer. Jack will be tying his favorite Spring patterns for fishing in the Smokies where he grew up fishing since he was a youngster.
Justin Pugh will be demonstrating tomorrow between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. Justin is a professional guide at Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain resorts in Walland. He and the other guides he works with are avid fly tyers. I see them often in the shop and learn from the time spent with them. They are all experts and very nice people.
You do not need a reservation to attend these free demonstrations. Just show up at the shop and learn from these guys.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
February 25, 2023
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com
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